Whenever I hear the island name of Dominica, my brain immediately goes off to sing Dominique, sung by the singing nun. Not to be confused with Sally Fields' flying nun portrayal of Sister Bertrille. She was more of a troublemaker than a singer, that one.
Dominique, nique, nique, over the land he plods
And sings a little song
Never asking for reward
He just talks about the Lord
He just talks about the Lord.........
And sings a little song
Never asking for reward
He just talks about the Lord
He just talks about the Lord.........
I haven't spent a lot of time in the Caribbean, but slowly, I'm adding islands to my list of "been tos". Dominica , located in the Leeward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles Archipelago, southeastern part of the Caribbean, is a new one for my list. Dominica is between Guadeloupe and Martinique, and was devastated by the recent hurricane Maria.
In my mind, to visit an island for the first time, requires seeing the actual island. Every one has the typical little city or town at the pier/harbor, with its requisite bars, restaurants, jewelry shops and fruit and vegetable markets. Oh, and souvenir shops. I like those, because I can usually find a lapel pin showing the country flag or other recognizable feature of the country. But I like to get out of the town and see what the rest of the place has to offer. I did just that on Dominica.
Dominica is also referred to as the Nature Island, and/or the Water Island. The island is volcanic in nature, and this combined with the clear waters, helps us to understand why Dominica has these other names. Champagne is a famous underwater hot springs where you can snorkel and swim through warm bubbles. Another great snorkeling spot is Douglas Bay. Inland, there are many rivers to enjoy. A few of the Pirates of the Carbbean movies were shot here. Hiking trails leading to beautiful waterfalls are also a draw for nature enthusiasts. The second largest boiling lake in the world is also found here - although it's a very strenuous hike and an all-day commitment. Less difficult (and family fun oriented) also abound around the island.
The indigenous people on Dominica were the Caribs. In 1493, that pesky Christopher Columbus happened by and named the island Dominica, which means Sunday, as it was apparently that day of the week when he spotted the island. In the 1600's France colonized the island; and changed hands with the British for a few hundred years, In 1978, Dominica gained her independence from Britain. In the capital city of Roseau, you can see a good mix of French and British influence, in the architecture (what is left of it after several major hurricanes over the last century) and in the language. Oh, and what side of the street they drive on............The island has a total population of about 100,000 and is about 300 square miles in area. I think they said it was 92 miles around. Dominica's flag is the only one in the world with a parrot on it and only one of two with the color purple. (the other one is Nicaragua)
Welcome sign at the dock.
Jacko Waterfalls
Inland countryside
Lunch! Beer! Mahi Mahi, sweet corn/potato bake, crispy green beans, cole slaw, tomato
Who doesn't love a good palm tree, on a beach as lovely as these on Dominica?
This is the beach where we ate lunch and had a bit of a walkabout. It's privately owned, but the beach itself is public. Just a little hard to get to...............
Snort enjoyed the view while we ate lunch.
Mangroves
Bernd, Mieke and I. Our tour guide for the day was Woody Lawrence, aka Woody Dominica. He showed us quite a lot of his beautiful island home. Did we go snorkeling or swimming with the hordes of other tourists in Champagne Bay? Nope, but we did enjoy a quiet and peaceful time at this beautiful beach, and saw much of the island's inland beauty, including a sweet waterfall. We covered nearly 2/3 of the island's perimeter area.
Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!!
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